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Ursula Goodenough Ursula Goodenough is a contributor to the NPR blog 13.7: Cosmos & Culture.

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Ursula Goodenough

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Sunday November 23, 2014

Exploring The Religious Naturalist Option

Alexander Burzik/iStockphoto

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Exploring The Religious Naturalist Option

November 23, 2014 • Religious naturalists understand humans to be emergent from and, hence, a part of, nature, says commentator Ursula Goodenough. They also consider the religious potential in these beliefs.

Thursday July 21, 2011

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Farewell To 13.7: The Irresistible Pull Of Science

July 21, 2011 • Ursula Goodenough says goodbye to the 13.7 community, explaining that the pull of the science she is doing in her lab right now leaves little room for the other thoughts.

Friday June 3, 2011

Taking Stock Of Climate-Change Skeptics

The "Sydney Ice Bear" on Friday in Sydney, Australia. The bear was carved by British artist Mark Coreth from a 10-ton block of ice. The public will be welcomed to touch the bear, leaving imprints that will begin the melting process and act as a metaphor for how humans affect the environment. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images hide caption

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Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Taking Stock Of Climate-Change Skeptics

June 3, 2011 • A discussion around the issue of climate change has commentator Ursula Goodenough feeling a little low. She finds hope and renewal, however, in the words of novelist Jonathan Franzen as he talks about his relationship with nature.

Thursday May 26, 2011

What Motivates Climate Change Deniers?

Joplin, Missouri Julie Denesha/Getty Images hide caption

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Julie Denesha/Getty Images

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

What Motivates Climate Change Deniers?

May 26, 2011 • Scientific research tells us that climate change is happening. The science of climate change is the basis for many people's fear about the future. But what motivates people who don't believe in climate change?

Thursday May 19, 2011

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Research Scientists Summed Up: Curious, Flexible and Intellectual

May 19, 2011 • Research scientists sit squarely in the lineage of intellectuals throughout the ages, in all fields of human inquiry.

Thursday May 12, 2011

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Words Of Wisdom For Graduates: Courage, Leadership, Community, Play

May 12, 2011 • It's graduation time and commentator Ursula Goodenough shares part of a speech she gave to students at the University of Southern California. Her advice? Embrace the concepts of courage, community and play!

Thursday May 5, 2011

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Peak Oil In Perspective

May 5, 2011 • Commentator Ursula Goodenough specializes in the development of sustainable biofuels. She shares a graph with us showing the rise and predicted fall of oil production over a 2,500 year time frame.

Thursday April 28, 2011

Indifference: Far And Away The Most Dangerous Human Capacity

A better future is ahead; just follow the kids. Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Indifference: Far And Away The Most Dangerous Human Capacity

April 28, 2011 • It's common for most of us to easily move from hope to despair, or from feelings of control to feelings of powerlessness, when confronting the world around us. Commentator Ursula Goodenough argues that there is good reason to settle on hope as our dominant take on the world.

Thursday April 21, 2011

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Guise Of Critical Thinking: How Anti-Evolution Bills Mar Science Education

April 21, 2011 • Biologist Ursula Goodenough says that "anti evolution" bills lingering in state legislatures cause considerable collateral damage in science education. The make teachers feel they are walking on eggshells when they arrive at the core topic of biological evolution.

Thursday April 14, 2011

A Toast To The Evolution Of Teaching Standards For High School Biology

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

A Toast To The Evolution Of Teaching Standards For High School Biology

April 14, 2011 • State teaching standards for high school biology seem to have made significant strides in the last 10 years. Commentator and biologist Ursula Goodenough is participating in a review of the standards published by all 50 states and finds reason for optimism about the future.

Thursday April 7, 2011

Talking Birds, Chatty Babies And The Mysteries Of Language

Got something to say? A pet parrot sits on its perch in Taiwan. Patrick Lin/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Patrick Lin/AFP/Getty Images

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Talking Birds, Chatty Babies And The Mysteries Of Language

April 7, 2011 • The ability to talk, or sound like you're talking, can be found in some unexpected places. For instance, some parrots can sound just like their owners. Do they know what they're doing? Is there any meaning there?

Thursday March 31, 2011

'Journey Of The Universe:' The Challenge Of Telling Everybody's Story

The majestic spiral galaxy NGC 4414 as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA hide caption

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NASA

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

'Journey Of The Universe:' The Challenge Of Telling Everybody's Story

March 31, 2011 • Filmmakers attempt to tell the story of the universe in a single hour. Impossible? Biologist Ursula Goodenough says the film Journey of the Universe is a triumph.

Thursday March 24, 2011

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Benefits Of 'Pond Scum' Explained

March 24, 2011 • The benefits of basic scientific research are not always obvious on first glance. When you look more closely, however, you find the work can lead to discoveries that directly impact the lives of everyday people.

Thursday March 17, 2011

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Disaster Management Proves All To Be All Too Human

March 17, 2011 • The unfolding nuclear calamity in Japan is just another reminder that, no matter how prepared we think we are, humans are fallible creatures guaranteed to make mistakes that we don't foresee.

Thursday March 10, 2011

In Spain, A Symbol Of Interfaith Solutions

Ursula Goodenough/NPR

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

In Spain, A Symbol Of Interfaith Solutions

March 10, 2011 • The Mezquita in Córdoba is the perfect architectural symbol of religious tolerance — if only it was also an ideological compromise.

Thursday February 24, 2011

Mind-Blowing Bangkok: When Art Transforms Reality

Ramayana Fresco, Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok. Ursula Goodenough/NPR hide caption

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Ursula Goodenough/NPR

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Mind-Blowing Bangkok: When Art Transforms Reality

February 24, 2011 • Ursula Goodenough says art really works for her, when reality is transformed into a totally different kind of experience.

Thursday February 17, 2011

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

An Eye-Opening Look At America's Academic Standards

February 17, 2011 • Academic standards for public schools in the United States are a confusing mess. A series of studies from the Fordham Institute rate the standards of each state in each subject area taught. The news is not good for most states.

Thursday February 10, 2011

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

It's Time For 'Big History'

February 10, 2011 • Teaching the big stories of history to children from the earliest moments of their education is one key to spreading the joy of learning through the scientific method.

Thursday February 3, 2011

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Leaky Replacement: Human, Neanderthal And Denisovan Blends

February 3, 2011 • Understandings of human origins have undergone many seismic shifts since the accounts in Genesis and other sacred texts, but several findings this year might well be described as > 7 on the Richter scale.

Thursday January 27, 2011

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Lessons From A Bonobo Parent

January 27, 2011 • In a new video by the Great Ape Trust, we a father parent his son.

Thursday January 20, 2011

In A Glass House: A Close Look At The Most Beautiful Unicells On Earth

The frustule of Thalassiosira pseudonana. Robyn Roth, John Heuser, Mark Hildebrand and Ursula Goodenough/NPR hide caption

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Robyn Roth, John Heuser, Mark Hildebrand and Ursula Goodenough/NPR

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

In A Glass House: A Close Look At The Most Beautiful Unicells On Earth

January 20, 2011 • Ursula Goodenough and her team were the first people on the planet to witness the molecular architecture in pristine form of diatoms.

Thursday January 13, 2011

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Arizona Tragedy Highlights The Mystery Of Altruism

January 13, 2011 • Marcelo’s core point yesterday was that it’s not so much that we have a killer instinct or impulse. Rather, it’s that we can be manipulated into killing by fear.

Thursday January 6, 2011

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Human Killing Instinct? Really?

January 6, 2011 • Does the "beast" within doom humans to killing each other no matter how much we want to leave that behavior behind?

Thursday December 30, 2010

A Holiday Miracle: The Story Of A Bonobo And His Mixed-Species Family

Hanging out with Sue and Teco at the Great Ape Trust. Ursula Goodenough/NPR hide caption

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Ursula Goodenough/NPR

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

A Holiday Miracle: The Story Of A Bonobo And His Mixed-Species Family

December 30, 2010 • Biologist Ursula Goodenough makes a visit to a great ape trust in Iowa and encounters Teco -- a rather amazing Chimp being raised by both humans and his own species.

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